Rob Maisel
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Cultural Defiance 101

2/28/2012

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Was I not supposed to come to Asia?  Did you think that I should have a job lined up like most MBA graduates do?  You REALLY thought that I should miss out on this INCREDIBLE experience?  Y'all Crazy!  Jobs will be around forever, even within a recession, it's just a matter of making the connections and landing one!  When will I be able to setup another time in my life like this to travel indefinitely?  (BELIEVE ME I WILL IF I WANT TO, IT'S JUST TIME CONSUMING AND COMPLICATED)  THAT is the question...not WHERE IS MY JOB?!

In making this trip happen, there is a lot of explanations to be given to family and friends, and even to many people I meet, as if I need to justify why I am doing this...there was a lot of pressure on me before leaving I assure you that.  Leaving loved ones behind for a while is not an easy task either.  Nor is leaving the amazing people you meet on the road..  Sure, many of you may think, "how does he afford this trip?"  While most go out shopping on weekends, I was saving.  While many (as I was advised) were solely studying full-time, I was working two and at times, three part-time jobs.  What do you spend your Holiday money on?  I DIDN'T SPEND IT.

Now, I cannot blame most of you following my blog for initially thinking that I am flat out nuts.  I can only hope that you see things a little bit differently than the norm by reading my blog.  Taking a trip like this is not what most USA graduates do, and why is that?  Working hard in school and securing that perfect job is what our culture is all about!  Work hard, earn that money, save, save, save!  As you may have heard from me before though, "this is ONE way, not the ONLY way." 

Let's talk about the reason I call this an "Out-of-the-Classroom Learning Experience."  All children must attend school to learn!  Then, they must go to University!  Okay, great and I feel very lucky to have had such a fantastic education!  BUT, here comes the heavy hitter!  How much of what you learn in the classroom do you FORGET?  You are sitting here reading this, saying "A LOT", I KNOW you are because it's the truth.  I have remembered knowledge that is particularly useful, practical and/or strange.  Some of my finest and most passionate professors' words have also taught some facts that have been retained in my brain.  Now here's another tough question you need to answer, "How much of what you learn in school is PRACTICAL knowledge, that you can actually use?"  For me, the answer in many classes was only a little bit.  Don't get me wrong, learning the Spanish language and some great business skills HAVE certainly been practical knowledge.  I can tell you that I learned more in my 3 months in India about myself and about the big bad world than i did in ANY one semester at university.  With that being said, I think ALL students should have the opportunity to study abroad, but I think parents should fund a new type of education.  Parents, send your kids to a foreign country to live for a little bit.  Help them to understand the world from another perspective and to see that this world is not all the same.  If I could only afford one or the other: sending my child to university, or sending him/her on a world trip, you would find my child on some other continent.  WHY?  Because it is a much more powerful learning experience in my opinion.  You are FORCED to learn, when someone does not understand you, YOU CANNOT ASK THE TEACHER TO REPEAT THE QUESTION.  YOU EITHER FIGURE OUT A WAY TO COMMUNICATE OR YOU LEAVE WITHOUT WHAT YOU WANT.  It's a tough world out there folks, go hard or go home ;)

I read a book called "The Four Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferriss, and while I find some of his views quite radical and some of what he says not as easy as he makes it out to be, I DO connect quite well with and agree with many of his ideas!  One is the idea of taking a "mini-retirement" to see if you actually would enjoy it.  Many elderly people retire and then find themselves with nothing to do (Which is why it is important to have hobbies) or they find themselves overwhelmed by their spouses' company because for years, they only spent time together on evenings and weekends and now it seems much more like a 24/7 affair.

In regards to a career, it's a nice thing but not for everyone.  I have met many people who work a little bit and then travel, and then work then travel, continuing the cycle of doing interesting, different or even odd jobs to fund their travels.  I have also met people who have residual income flowing in from a business, allowing them to travel (which could be from a job an thus a career... :) )  The point here is that doing different jobs in one's lifetime seems more exhilarating than negative, as I often feel interviewers feel, seeing the lack of continuity in one thing as a lack of discipline or focus.

We should see ourselves as lucky being US Citizens because we can relatively easily attain any visa we want.  Although we make it a pain for other countries and they thus do it to us, with most visas having a separate US Citizen category requesting us to pay a lot more money than the rest of the applicants from other countries.  Most of Europe also has this advantage as visas do not seem to difficult to attain.  For the Chinese however, or Thais it is much more problematic due to their exchange rates and their governments making it a lot harder for them to receive visas.

Side note:  I visited Bangkok's Weekend Market, and it was ENORMOUS, and SUPER HOT that day!!  You could buy just about anything you wanted though, with numbered lanes where items from hats and shoes to chicken and milkshakes were being sold!  As you walk through the market, you are greeted by smiles.  Why?  Because THIS IS THE LAND OF SMILES!  The smile is a good signifier of Thailand's overall happy and non-confrontational culture; you will get a lot farther here with a smile rather than a loud voice :)  Also, I feel that during many of my attempted conversations with the Thais, the smile most often is code for the following thought: "I'm so sorry but I don't understand a word that is coming out of your mouth, sir".

Thai habits: Women wear a LOT of makeup; they tend to do this black line above their eyes, and at the edge opposite the nose, they flair it up diagonally towards their ears - looks very exotic.  Thais also seem to be fans of tattoos, sometimes sporting multiple visible ones!  They also don't like to sit on the side of the bus where the sun is shining through, so if they are on the wrong side and there are seats, expect them to move!  I also find it interesting how they pronounce the English letter "r" as an "l", so "Khao San Road" is actually pronounced, "Khao San Load".  My personal favorite is the word "farang" which means "foreigner" (I think Western Foreigner) and so that one comes out as "Falang".  I have begun pronouncing these words like this, as it is how the natural language sounds!  Another favorite of mine is the way that "because" comes out sounding like "becaud" ...super cute, just what happens when the Thais translate the way their mouths have been trained into an English setting :)  The many tones of the Thai language also make it an interesting sound to the ears!  Seemingly long and drawn out and strange sounding words (as per my perspective), but I am trying to learn more Thai as I continue on here!

Lastly, for those dying to actually SEE the mayhem and madness I've been causing for the past 7.5 months, you are most welcome to sign on to facebook and check your newsfeed as I have finally began polluting it with my China pictures.  Next will come India, Thailand and Singapore and I will be all caught up!  Hopefully today!!
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Gender Bending and the Jewel of SouthEast Asia

2/25/2012

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Thailand is a country of any and everything.  When it comes to gender, you have men, women, masculine ladyboys, feminine ladyboys, and see herein lies the problem.  I have grown up in a society where I am used to and almost expected to categorize to help to relate to the world.  I am a product of my society...or let's say I WAS.  Stepping outside of these boundaries has allowed me to see things in a new light, and to adapt to the Thai style where one does NOT NEED to classify.  The Thai people just accept PEOPLE for who they are, and rarely ever is a second look given to a person that may not fit into the category of "man" or "woman".  After all, we are all just people at the end of the day, aren't we??

These thoughts have brought me to think about why we also feel we must classify ourselves as "gay" or "straight".  If you find somebody attractive, what does it matter their sex?  What if you find women attractive, and you fall in love with this gorgeous girl...only to find out she was once a man?  You thought you were straight, HA!  YOU'RE WRONG!!!  Or are you still?  Perhaps that was just an honest mistake...but you liked her PERSONALITY too!!  I think it is okay NOT to classify who you are, and just be you!

On the sad side of things, physical attraction is the base for many of the women and ladyboys' income as prostitution in Thailand is huge.  They work on their own, through go-go bars, at massage parlors, regular bars, and more places!  You name the place and there are probably prostitutes!  It is a crazy crazy difference in this part of the world, and as Thailand keeps on developing, hopefully we will see less and less of this type of work being done!!!

So what better a way to renew my Thailand visa than flying to Singapore for a few nights to visit my Cousin Evan who was there on business?  I can assure you that being in a nice hotel with wifi accessible from the room itself, a nice hot shower, etc. is NOT how I have been traveling so what a nice way to mix it up! 

What sets Singapore apart from the other countries in Southeast Asia?  Several things:  it is NOT 3rd World whatsoever.  The population of Singapore is lets say generally a 75/25 split between Chinese and Indian ethnicity with other groups involved at minority levels.  You will not meet anyone who does not have basic conversational English (ok i met one, and this was great practice for my Chinese!) but overall most people's English is at a VERY high level, as is the education level in this country.  Business is booming and Singapore is seeing some serious economic growth!  The government maintains order quite well, with the threat of being caned for some minor offenses, not many people want to test the waters...the Gurkas (not sure if i spelled that right) are a breed of people who train to use the bamboo rod as a weapon, used in giving those who commit crimes in this country a lashing.  Generally, one gets 2-3 licks and there is a doctor on hand to determine whether or not the person can sustain all of them; it is not uncommon for the criminal to lose consciousness after the first lick.  If the doctor determines that the person cannot endure anymore at that time, they are released from the barracks they are put into and must come back a month or so later for the rest of their punishment...can you imagine how emotionally traumatic this must be??  The cane is serious and strips off all layers of skin if used properly, exposing the muscle and is said to forever affect the way some people walk after the treatment.  Such things as smoking in the hotel room, or even bringing a fruit called a Durian (I found this HILARIOUS) into the hotel room can cause you to get fined!  The reason the fruit is not allowed is because it produces quite a pungent odor that can be very offensive to the nasal passages.

This ridiculously ordered and clean place does have a seedy side.  You can certainly find some naughty activities if you want, and surprisingly prostitution is legal in a certain area called Geylang I am told.

So I am back in Bangkok and the finger is feeling okay, it is slowly regaining more and more motion!  When I was in Singapore I got x-rays done and they were QUALITY!  The doctor recommended that I see the orthopedic surgeon, claiming that from the looks of the finger I might need surgery.  The orthopedic surgeon explained that the break had occurred close to the joint however, and they would have to go in and re-brake the bone, putting me back at square 1.  I would have to let it recover for another bunch of weeks, but more importantly they would screw a plate into my bone to keep it straight, causing permanent stiffness if they were to hit the joint by accident, and a risk for infection on top of that.  After hearing all of this and the doctor's surprise when I asked for his arm and grabbed it as hard as I could with my right hand (not surprised to be groped, but surprised at the amount of strength I had recovered in my finger and hand) we came to the ultimate conclusion that the continuation of the natural healing process would be the best way to go about this...especially because on a day-to-day basis, while the finger is a bit more swelled up than the other index finger, there is no pain (unless I manually flex it in directions which I do often for physiotherapy).  I am not sure if it will ever gain full motion back, but I'm gaining that tiger claw grip back and refuse to give up!  The use of my right hand once again will be critical as I continue moving again soon! 

I have been spending a lot of time by myself these past couple of days, and although it has been nice I would like some company again!  I foresee meeting some cool people in the near future on my way to and in the beauty that Thailand's Southern Islands have to offer!  Koh Pha-Ngan looks to be first on the radar, more on that to come soon!
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Chillin Thai Style

2/7/2012

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So upon returning to Mumbai, India I was able to do the "real deal" tour that I spoke of doing in a previous post!  Well, I saw a whole lot of Mumbai but the tour guide was so crazy and became so intoxicated that myself and the friends I were with decided to bail on him before the end of the tour...an experience to say the least!  I also met up with friends who took me out for a super-sweet night in Mumbai!  Actually it was the same night I was to head to the airport, so right from the bar to the airport!  No time for the nightclub, but for once I was not being scammed when trying to go out in town!!

Touchdown Bangkok, wow!  What a city - connected by a metro system (I have yet to use it), something called the BTS Skytrain which is usually the most effective method of getting around, and the boat/ferry system connects to the Skytrain and is the best option for getting to the backpackers Mecca, Khao San Road.  There you can find a little bit of everything!  Hats, sandals, Pat Thai - the famous food dish of noodles, prawns, some greens, peanuts, sugar, and all sorts of other outrageous flavors!  The curries here (mainly red and green) are sweet and some spicy as well!  Many are made with coconuts!  The delicious thai food is a BLAST of flavors in your mouth, from sweet to spicy to flat out OUTRAGEOUS!

The Bangkok nightlife is certainly kickin'!  There are many bars and clubs to choose from and perhaps the world's most famous red light district for those who want to experience the naughtier side of "BKK" (as Bangkok is often reffered to as).

From Bangkok I headed down to the Island Koh Chang for a few nights!  There was some beautiful scenery, but after a few nights it was time to come back!  From there I headed up to Chiang Mai in time to catch the flower festival.  Chiang Mai has a bunch of cool spots to hang out in for sure, and from there it was the super-chilled out Pai!  People here just relax, and it has somewhat of a hippie vibe to it, with Bob Marley as the figurehead and a lot of reggae to be heard! :)  In a few days I will head back to Bangkok and then fly to Singapore to meet my cousin Evan for a few nights, before heading back to Thailand to experience the life on the southern islands!

Finger Update:  So the broken finger seems to have almost completely healed.  I have been able to do pushups which is great, I'm feeling that positive energy again!!!  Keeping myself in shape when there is no access to a gym is super important to me so The finger is straight, but I think the bone may have healed thicker than normal as the finger is a bit more swelled up than normal.  There is no pain when the finger is resting and movement is returning, though I am still working with it to regain as much movement as possible!  I will go get xrays and an expert opinion from a hospital when in Singapore!  More to come soon!
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